I’ve had Possum sitting on my Blu-Ray shelf for a few years now and like so many in my collection it just keeps getting overlooked and slipping under the radar. But with making a conceited effort this year to clear some of this backlog from my collection, and being in the mood for a horror that was sure to make my toes curl, I slipped it into my player and buckled up for a film that I knew was going to make me feel just plain miserable.
Disgraced puppeteer Phillip (Sean Harris) has returned to his childhood home to destroy his puppet, Possum. But Phillip must also confront his repressed childhood trauma, as well as finding himself prime suspect in the disappearance of a teenage boy.
I knew just from looking at the cover of Possum that this was going to be a film that pushed my buttons because I’m terrified of spiders. With Possum having the body of a spider and some uncomfortably long legs, that seemed bad enough, but seeing the puppet in its full glory with its uncanny human face was genuinely enough to give me nightmares after I watched it.
One sequence late in the film that sees Possum pursuing Phillip through abandoned buildings had me squirming in my seat as I was desperately trying to not cover my eyes.
I won’t delve into spoilers for this review, but once I understood the deeper meaning behind Possum, it only made the puppet that much more terrifying and upsetting which I wouldn’t have thought was possible.
Disgraced puppeteer Phillip (Sean Harris) has returned to his childhood home to destroy his puppet, Possum. But Phillip must also confront his repressed childhood trauma, as well as finding himself prime suspect in the disappearance of a teenage boy.
I knew just from looking at the cover of Possum that this was going to be a film that pushed my buttons because I’m terrified of spiders. With Possum having the body of a spider and some uncomfortably long legs, that seemed bad enough, but seeing the puppet in its full glory with its uncanny human face was genuinely enough to give me nightmares after I watched it.
One sequence late in the film that sees Possum pursuing Phillip through abandoned buildings had me squirming in my seat as I was desperately trying to not cover my eyes.
I won’t delve into spoilers for this review, but once I understood the deeper meaning behind Possum, it only made the puppet that much more terrifying and upsetting which I wouldn’t have thought was possible.
Despite this, the real terror of Possum comes from Phillip’s mental unravelling as he gradually begins to remember some of the darkest moments of his childhood.
Harris’ performance is nothing short of incredible as he toes that line between pitiful and just plain frightening. His physical performance sees him regressing into the mental state of a child, or becoming physically ill as all colour drains from him and he sweats profusely. Of course some of this would have been achieved with makeup but Harris makes every moment seem genuine, as though he’s undergoing some sort of exorcism to set these dark memories free.
Alun Armstrong plays the only other speaking role, that of Philip’s uncle Maurice. The interactions the two share seem alien as they have absolutely zero chemistry. Whilst that would normally be a negative, I would argue it only serves to strengthen the film as it makes their scenes all the more uncomfortable.
Reportedly the two actors never spoke to each other outside of the scenes they shared in order to create this unorthodox dynamic, and I must say it does work wonders.
The film looks completely disgusting. If you didn’t know better you’d assume you were watching a something post-apocalyptic. Every single building is falling apart and covered in grime. The characters themselves are just plain filthy, Maurice in particular is just caked in dirt and has teeth so yellow I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s never even looked at a toothbrush.
Combined with a soundscape created by BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop, it has this eerie otherworldly quality. It doesn’t exactly have music, but rather audio cues that are just plain unpleasant.
Watching Possum was an extremely uncomfortable experience for me, and I’m sure that from what I’ve said in this review you’re probably thinking that it sounds like an awful film. But the reality is rather the opposite. Horror is meant to be unpleasant, and Possum is absolutely one of the most unpleasant films I’ve ever seen.
The ending won’t exactly some as a surprise, but it does give new meaning to everything you’ve been subjected to and thereby warrants a second viewing if you can stomach it.
I hated it, but what I mean by that is I absolutely loved it.
Harris’ performance is nothing short of incredible as he toes that line between pitiful and just plain frightening. His physical performance sees him regressing into the mental state of a child, or becoming physically ill as all colour drains from him and he sweats profusely. Of course some of this would have been achieved with makeup but Harris makes every moment seem genuine, as though he’s undergoing some sort of exorcism to set these dark memories free.
Alun Armstrong plays the only other speaking role, that of Philip’s uncle Maurice. The interactions the two share seem alien as they have absolutely zero chemistry. Whilst that would normally be a negative, I would argue it only serves to strengthen the film as it makes their scenes all the more uncomfortable.
Reportedly the two actors never spoke to each other outside of the scenes they shared in order to create this unorthodox dynamic, and I must say it does work wonders.
The film looks completely disgusting. If you didn’t know better you’d assume you were watching a something post-apocalyptic. Every single building is falling apart and covered in grime. The characters themselves are just plain filthy, Maurice in particular is just caked in dirt and has teeth so yellow I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s never even looked at a toothbrush.
Combined with a soundscape created by BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop, it has this eerie otherworldly quality. It doesn’t exactly have music, but rather audio cues that are just plain unpleasant.
Watching Possum was an extremely uncomfortable experience for me, and I’m sure that from what I’ve said in this review you’re probably thinking that it sounds like an awful film. But the reality is rather the opposite. Horror is meant to be unpleasant, and Possum is absolutely one of the most unpleasant films I’ve ever seen.
The ending won’t exactly some as a surprise, but it does give new meaning to everything you’ve been subjected to and thereby warrants a second viewing if you can stomach it.
I hated it, but what I mean by that is I absolutely loved it.